Turn the clock back to 1961 and beyond. Roam those old dirt roads once more and visit friendly neighbours you knew so well. From its beginnings before 1930 to its dismantlement in 1961, making way for the Squaw Rapids Hydro-electric Dam, to the day in 1962 when the river rose and water erased footprints forever, there's a lot to remember and to comment on.

Friday, March 4, 2011

Mapping the Flood Basin of the Projected Hydroelectric Dam

This map detail of the district with land elevations drawn on it, circa 1959 and possibly created for (or by) the Saskatchewan Power Corporation (just guessing—correct or additional info would be appreciated), appears to anticipate the extent to which Mossy Vale would be flooded. The blue overlay (added by me) approximates the water levels as they are today. The locations of the Petaigan Bridge and the Mossy Vale School have been added to the map. (Guessing again, but it would appear that the heavily shaded quarters refer to "farmer owned" lands while lighter shading might indicate rented or leased lands. At the time the map was likely created it seems logical to assume that the Power Corporation was preparing to negotiate the takeover of land they would require for the lake they were about to form.
(As with all posts on the Mossy Vale Saskatchewan blog, "click" on the image to open a larger version. An additional click will often reveal a larger image yet. In the case of this map, it does!)